"My football is going really well at the moment and this is the icing on the cake after moving here.

"There's been a few retirements since the World Cup, in [Steven] Gerrard and [Frank] Lampard, which has left a hole. I'm not saying I'm necessarily their replacement but there are opportunities there for young players to stake a claim."

Team

Pos

Accurate Pass

Won Tackle

Interception Won

Apps

Mins

Gareth Barry

Everton

MF

126

4

3

2

180

Steven Gerrard

Liverpool

MF

123

4

2

2

180

Dean Marney

Burnley

MF

98

9

5

2

180

Jack Colback

Newcastle

MF

95

3

4

2

180

Jordan Henderson

Liverpool

MF

93

4

2

2

180

And, as Opta stats show, the 24-year-old is in the England squad to face Norway and Switzerland absolutely on merit. Out of all the Premier League's English midfielders, only three have completed more passes than Colback so far this season - and all of them are the age of 30 or above.

Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, has just announced his England retirement, while Burnley's Dean Marney would get an even worse reception than Colback were he included in Hodgson's squad.

In truth, there is a real dearth of talent in the middle of the park for the Three Lions - and this defensive Magpies midfielder could help solve it. People may laugh or criticise but, at 24, Colback has several years to become an all-round midfielder. Why should Hodgson pick Gareth Barry over him, for instance, when he is 33 years of age?

No, the England boss's decision is indeed 100 per cent statistically justified. Whether that has implications in terms of English talent more generally is a separate issue entirely.

Was Hodgson right to pick Colback for England?

Tim Poole

Tim Poole is a sports journalist for HITC with a love of football, tennis and snooker in particular.

His career to date has seen him speak to former Manchester United boss David Moyes, interview snooker world champion Mark Selby and be snubbed by Premier League managers and players in more than one language!

He is a massive Roger Federer fan and lives by the motto that 'sport is life.' When he's not writing about it, he's playing it, be it football, tennis, basketball, badminton, table tennis, darts, snooker, golf or even water polo. He is better at some than others...